Drowning in the Siren's Song

Chapter 38

Percy honesty just wanted a quiet life. A normal life. A simple meal twice on the table and warm blankets to sleep under. That was his paradise. 

And now, in this situation, which was clearly not what he described, he couldn't help but feel annoyed. At everything. 

The chilly weather in the air, his runny nose, Gods, Keria stealing his warmth, Gods, the fact that he couldn't stop and take a break, and so on. And yes, Gods coming twice in his list was not a mistake. 

He was high in the air, moving at a speed which made trees look like they were running down below. Looking down made him dizzy, so he straitened himself, focusing ahead after tightening his grip on the strong black mane. 

'Careful, boss, what you're holding onto is ranked 2nd in 'World's Best Manes'. I ain't gonna be a baldy so soon.' 

Like usual, Percy ignored anything which seemed even slightly weird. Blackjack had a quip to anything he did, but for now, his voice was a welcomed distraction. After only looking at grey clouds, Keria's warmth as she snuggled in his lap and Blackjack's voice in his head were the only indications of life. 

He currently was meters up in the air, snuggled as close to Blackjack's neck as possible with Keria between them. The steady beat of his huge wings beside him accompanied them as he galloped in the air without a ground. 

Because of the high altitude and speed, it was chillier than what Percy was used to which was why he was trying to steal as much as the Pegasus's warmth. They'd known each other only for a few days, but Blackjack had enough affection garnered for the demigod to subtly slow his speed. 

After all, he was the only human who had been able to talk to him.

'Ya okay, boss? Wanna take a break?' Blackjack asked, his wings deliberately changing their pace, now noticeable to Percy who shook his head, patting his neck to urge him.

'Okay then, just let me know when you feel like falling. I'll go higher.' 

Blackjack's voice rang in his head, just like how the fishes talked to him. It was different than how he talked to Keria. With other animals, he just knew what they wanted to convey... like an instinct. But nothing of the sort with Blackjack. He could hear his words loud and clear. It was one of the few times he was grateful that he was the son of Poseidon. But this stallion told him everything, including a bucketload of sass and sarcasm.

Percy rolled his eyes, thankful that he couldn't see him, otherwise, he was sure Blackjack would  comment on that as well. 
'No, it's alright. Lets wait till sundown at least. But tell me if you want to take a break.'

This time Blackjack felt like rolling his eyes. He could feel Percy's stiff hands in his mane and his shaking legs and yet he had asked if Blackjack needed a break. He decided to stop the moment the sun went down while feigning weakness.

To distract himself, Percy softly ran his hands through the now tangled black mane, recalling how surprised he was when he first met Blackjack. 

"You're going to make a friend." Apollo had smirked at Percy before letting out a sharp whistle, not unlike the ones Corey used. It was an indicator enough to guess someone was coming. And he was right. 

Within minutes, Percy could see small wings in the distance, just like how Keria's wings looked when she was high up in the air. As time went on, the blur quickly became larger until a Pegasus took its place. 

It was the first time he saw a Pegasus. Heck, it was his first time seeing a horse. 

It was really pretty. That was his first though when it landed, its hooves stomping the ground and tail swishing in the wind. It seemed ethereal, like something out of a myth- which it was. 

"This is Blackjack." Apollo introduced him, nudging Percy, "He's got a good pair of wings on him." At his compliment, Blackjack purposely ruffled his feathers, proud. And he should be. He was a pure black stallion with darker eyes, but in the sunlight, his wings looked as if ink has spilled in water, creating swirls of darkness with strong muscles underneath. 

"He'll be your ride to California if you manage to hit it off." 

And they did. Percy discovered that because horses were sacred to Poseidon, he could communicate freely with them, similar to the sea life. The way they talked directly in his mind was the same but unlike the fishes who seemed to worship him, Blackjack chose to push him on a mock pedestal of a leader and started calling him 'boss' when Percy refused being called 'prince'.

He then he proceeded to find out that Blackjack matched him in age if not in number and that he had a loud personality, quite enjoyable. He was considerably young but was confident in his flight skills which was why he'd agreed and not because of his curiosity and reward mentioned by Apollo.

Even Keria took a liking to him and visa-versa, so did he. Percy could almost feel the sassiness coming off from their direction as both the creatures of darkness became quick friends. 

And like he'd thought, his journey, he found out, was filled with their chatter and unique personalities. 

***

Hello, I'm back ^^
I became a bit less-busy so finally got time to write, so updates will continue with a gap of a week (max).
Please look forward to the next chapters!
~Nutan